Air conditioning system



Aug. 13, 1940. o. J. at PIERRE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Filed May 17,1937 4 Sheets-Sheet l c p A fi ma Z W .7 Z 75 aw 0 71 5 5 0 it Q i A n fwiry Mm W W11 471.10 a a B 3 3; Z ih V V.

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Aug. 13, 1940- o. J. s'r. PIERRE- AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Filed May 17,1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 w l f wmw mag if "7 w: 6 2

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Aug. 13, 1940.

O. J. ST. PIERRE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Filed May 17, 1937 4Sheets-Sheet 3 Far/Q5 c5 ENT OR.

ATTORNEY.

Aug. 13, 1940- o. J. ST. PIERRE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Filed May 17,1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 13, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR CONDITIONINGSYSTEM Octave J. St. Pierre, Chicago, Ill. Application May 17, 1937,Serial No. 142,947

4 Claims.

This invention relates to building constructions providing an airconditioning system operated by the natural forces of nature and morespecifically relates to an air conditioning system for homes andindustrial buildings actuated by wind, sun heat, ground temperature, andevaporation. The system of this invention can be used in combinationwith a heating plant for heating the building.

The buildings of this invention are constructed on foundation walls orother meansproviding and defining therebetween a subterranean airpassageway. Outside air is received in this passageway and as the aircirculates in the passageway, it is naturally cooled in the summer timeby the outer foundation walls or ducts which are below the ground leveland therefore are cooler than walls disposed above the ground level.During the winter months, however, the founda- 20 tion walls or ducts,by virtue of their being below the ground level, are warmer than thetemperature above the ground level and thus serve to Warm or cool theair passing through the subterranean air passageway. The invention mayinclude means for moistening the ground adjacent to the outer foundationwalls or ducts to aid in cooling these walls for example, byevaporation.

The air is introduced from the foundation walls inlet to the foundationwalls. This duct may communicate with the selected heating plant for thebuilding. The air circulates from the heating plant through a centralduct located within the building into a plenum chamber or duct fromwhich it is distributed between rafters and studs of the buildingconstruction to the various rooms or other areas in the building. Theair is introduced into the rooms at the bottoms thereof along thebaseboards, at floor line for example, and it is intended to utilizesmall slot-like or other openings around the entire room if required.Air is exhausted from the room through a slot or other openings adjacentto the ceiling thereof, 45 for example, at the picture frame molding ofthe room. The exhausted air flows downwardly between the stud partitionback to the basement of the building and then circulates upwardly fromthe basement between exhaust passageways formed outside of thepassageways circulating air from the plenum chamber. The air then entersthe attic or vacuum chamber where it is exhausted by means of aventilating device operated b; the outside wind or other natural forces.The attic or ducts into a duct located remote from the air is maintainedat a sub-atmospheric pressure for inducing the circulation through thebuilding.

No air impelling means are utilized other than the natural forces ofnature.

It is then an object of this invention to provide 5 building structurefor'the complete air conditioning of a building of any type without theaid of mechanically driven appliances.

Another object of this invention is to produce a constant supply offresh air in properly heated or cooled condition throughout a building.

Another object of this invention is to provide a completely airconditioned building utilizing passageways between the studs and raftersof the building for air circulation.

Another object of this invention is to exhaust air from a buildingthrough passageways provided adjacent outside walls of the building andpassageways for supplying air to the various rooms in the buildingthereby increasing the insulation between the rooms in the building andthe outside atmosphere.

Another object of this invention is to provide automatic intake andexhaust means for regulating the circulation of air through thebuilding.

Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent tothoseskilled in the art from the following detailed description of theannexed sheets of drawings which disclose preferred embodiments of theinvention.

It should be understood that the invention is of wide scope and that thestructures illustrated on the drawings are intended as examples ofsuitable devices for carrying out the invention and may be widely variedwithout departing from the scope and intent of the invention.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken through a buildinghaving an air conditioning system according to this invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken substantially alongthe line II-1I of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a building equipped withan air conditioning sys- 45 tem of this invention showing a constructionusable on buildings not providedwith basements but having an excavatedboiler room.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the lineIV-IV of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line VVof Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the lineVI-VI of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the lineVIIVII of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the lineV1II-VIII of Figure 1.

Figure 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view. with parts in elevation,of the air exhaust and control therefor mounted in the roof of abuilding according to this invention.

Figure 10 is a plan view of the air exhaust device shown in Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a plan view of double doors for giving entrance to thebuilding.

Figure 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the lineXII-XTII of Figure 1.

As shown on the drawings: I

In Figure 1 the reference numeral Ii designates generally a house havinga basement B, rooms R and R and an attic A. The house It is supported ona foundation H preferably built up of concrete blocks. The foundationwalls define an air passageway l2.

As best shown in Figure 2, an opening I3 is provided in the foundationwalls II to define an entrance to the basement B. This entrance openingmay be closed by a door l4. The passageway I2 is open as at IS on eachside of the door opening l3 in front of the door l4. These openings canbe provided with a screen grille and filters I6 may be disposed back oi.the grille in the passageway on each side of the opening l3. Air canthus enter into the passageway I2 and circulate in contact with thefoundation walls H which walls are below the ground level as shown inFigure 1.

The air in passing along the passageway I2 is cooled in the summermonths because the foundation walls are below the ground level. Toincrease the cooling of the air. subterranean water pipes H can bedisposed around the foundation walls for moistening the groundtherearound. These pipes I! can .be perforated or provided with sprayheads.

In the winter months, the air is warmed by passage through thepassageway l2 because temperatures below the ground level are warmerthan temperatures above the ground level.

A duct l8 in the basement B communicates with the passageway l2 at apoint to define passageways of equal lengths from the openings IS. Theair in the passageway l2 enters the duct I3 and may be directed throughfilters l3 into a heating plant 20 for the building. The heating plant20 can be any type of heating unit. The amount of air entering theheating plant 20 may be controlled by a damper 2| positioned in the ductIt. The damper 2| may be connected through a bell crank arm 22 and cable23 to a thermostatic device 24 which automatically regulates theoperation of the damper in accordance with the temperature. of theincoming air. The thermostatic device 24 is controlled .by athermostatic bulb 25 positioned in the air duct l3.

From the heating plant 20 the air is directed upwardly through a duct 26into a plenum chamber 2'1 mounted in the attic A. From the plenumchamber 21 the air passes along passageways 28a between the rafters 28as shown in Figure 6 under the construction floor 29 and above the roomceilings 30. From these passageways 23a between the rafters 28 the airpassages between passageways 3! defined by studs 32 as shown in Figure5, the room walls 33 and a siding wall 34. The air is introduced intothe rooms R and R. from the passageways 31 through slots 35 extendingaround the periphery of the room at the baseboard thereof. These slots33 may be of small width only and can be suitably screened or grilled asdesired.

The air after circulating through the rooms R and R is exhausted throughslots or openings 33 extending along the tops of the rooms on the innerwalls thereof. The exhausted air then passes through passageways 31(Figure 7) defined between studs 33, the inner room walls 39 andadditional walls 40 secured to the studs 33 in spaced relation from theroom walls 38. From the passageways 31 the air is directed betweenrafters 33a under floors 23a into the basement B to the outside walls ofthe house where it passes upwardly through the passageways 4| (Figure 5)defined by the outer walls 42 such as brick walls of the house III andthe siding wall 34. The studs 33 rest on the rafters 33a as shown inFigure 8 so that the passageway 31 is unobstructed. The walls 42 and 34may be secured to studs 43 as shown in Figure 5. The rafters 33a rest onside walls 44 as shown in Figure 12.

From the passageways 4| the air is directed into the attic A.

For the purpose of effecting the circulation of air to the attic A, theattic is maintained under a sub-atmospheric pressure. An exhaust device50 may be mounted on the roof of the house and communicating through aduct 5| with the attic. The exhaust device 50 is best shown in Figures 9and 10 and comprises a plurality of concentric bonnets 52, 53 and 54mounted on the end of the duct Ii above the roof of the house. Thebonnet 52 has an opening 55 in the top thereof. The bonnet 53 isdisposed over the mouth of the duct 5| and is closed at the top. Thebonnet 54 is preferably level with the mouth of the duct 5|.

As indicated by the arrows, the outside wind if coming from the top ofthe house can pass through the opening 55 of the bonnet 52 and bedirected along the passageway 56 defined by the bonnets 52 and 53. Thiswill create a suction at the mouth of a concentric passageway 51 definedby the bonnets 53 and 54 tending to draw air out of the duct II.

If, on the other hand, the outside wind is sweeping along the roof ofthe building some of it will be passed through the passageway 51 asshown by the arrows thereby drawing air from the duct 5! therewith.

A damper 58 is hingedly connected to the bottom of the duct 5| in theattic A. This damper 53 can be suitably counterbalanced by a weight 59adjustably mounted on an arm 58a of the damper. Thus if the passage ofair from the attic through the duct 5| is greater than desired, thesuction caused by passage of the air through the duct 5| will tend toclose the damper 58. The amount of suction necessary to close the dampercan be properly regulated by adjusting weight 59 on the arm 58a forcounterbalancing the operation of the damper.

From the above description it should be understood that the air iscirculated through the building I ll without the aid of fans or othermechanically operated air impellers. The outside wind or sun heateffects a reduced pressure area in the attic A which draws air throughthe building as described above. In the event. however, that there is nowind blowing, the system will still operate because of a temperaturedifferential be tween the incoming air and the outgoing air. In thewinter months when the incoming air is heated, the air circulation willbe by convection in the event that no outside wind is blowing. In thesummer months the outgoing air is warmer than the incoming assured.

v the building I0 is not provided with a full basement, but, on theother hand, is mounted on-a hollow foundation 60 disposedTbeneath theground level. The foundation 60 defines a' passageway 6| for airentering through a passage 62 from above the ground level. The air isthus circulated through the passageway 62 around the passageway "andthrough a duct iii in a boiler room B. R., into a hot air furnace andthen ..through a duct 26 intoa plenum chamber 21' located beneath therooms R and R'- instead of in the attic. From the plenum chamber 21' theair is circulated to the outlets" in the rooms R and RC Air is exhaustedfrom the rooms at 36 into the attic A.

The buildings of this invention are well insulated'and are intended tobe equipped with glazed sealed windows and double doors. A suitable formof double door construction is shown in Figure 11, wherein the outsidedoor 66 giving entrance to the building l0 opens into a vestibule 61.The door 66 is then closed and a door 68 opened to give entrance fromthe vestibule 61 into/a room R.

In order to insure a complete closing of one of the doors 66 or 68 sothat both doors are not open together, an electrical interlockarrangement can be provided. In an electrical interlock, one of thedoors 66 or 68 must be completely closed before the other door can beopened. This insures against the sweeping in of air and dust into thebuilding which tends to upset the desired air circulation of the systemof this invention.

The continuous circulation of treated outside air throughout thebuilding makes it unnecessary to open doors, windows and the like,

The air conditioning system of this invention is entirely automatic andrequires no power for operation.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details ofconstruction may be varied through a wide range without departing fromthe principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purposelimiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by theprior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. An air conditioned building comprising a hollow subterraneanfoundationdefining an air conduit, said conduit having an inletcommunicating with the outside atmosphere, a duct in said building forreceiving air from the conduit, a damper for regulating flow of airthrough the duct, means for operating said damper, a heating plant incommunication with the duct, a space at the top of the building, aplenum chamber in said space, means for conveying air from the heatingplant to the plenum chamber, rooms or areas in said building forreceiving air from said plenum chamber and defined by hollow inner wallsspaced apart from the main outer walls of said building by hollowceilings and by hollow floors, said inner walls being spaced apart fromeach other at interior positions of said building thereby forming airintake passages from said plenum chamber horizontally through said roomceilings and downwardly through said hollow inner vertical room walls,thence into said rooms near the floors thereof, said vertical room wallshaving air exhaust passages near the ceil-' ings, said hollow verticalroom walls and floor forming exhaust passages to permit passage of airdownwardly through said inner side walls and through the buildingbasement, thence upwardly between said room walls and said buildingwalls, and into said attic, and an exhaust ele ment in the top of saidattic whereby spent air from the rooms will exhaust therethrough.

2. An air conditioned building structure comprising outer side wallsdefining an enclosure, a roof closing the top of the enclosure, a floorin spaced horizontal relation below the roof to define with the roof anattic space, rafters supporting said floor extending inspaced horizontalrelation between opposite side walls of the building, rooms in saidbuilding below said rafters having top, bottom and side walls, said topwalls of the rooms and attic floor defining with the rafters a pluralityof horizontal air passages, spaced vertical studs supporting said sidewalls of the room, outer walls secured to said studs to define with theroom walls and studs vertical passageways, said vertical passagewaysadjacent the outer side walls of the building communicating with thehorizontal air passages and having outlets communicating with the-room,said vertical passageways along inner room walls having inletscommunicating with the rooms for conveying spent air therefrom andadditional passageways between the outer side walls of the building andthe outer walls secured to the studs for conveyingthe spent airexhausted from the rooms to the attic space.

3. An air conditioned building structure comprising a shell consistingof outer side walls, roof and foundation walls and containing rooms andan attic space therein; a subterranean air passageway passing through.said foundation Walls and communicating with the atmosphere; a plenumchamber in said attic space; a passageway between said subterranean airpassageway and said plenum chamber; a plurality of inner side walls,ceilings and floor defining said rooms, said side walls, floor andceilings being hollow and forming air passages therethrough, certain ofsaid inner side walls being spaced apart from the main side walls ofsaid building and forming air passages between said side walls and saidbuilding side walls; said ceilings and outer side walls of said roomsforming air intake passageways from said plenum chamber and the lowerpart of said rooms; certain of said inner room walls having air exhaustports near the ceilings, said inner room walls, said floors, saidbasement and said spaces between said building walls and outer roomwalls forming a continuous passage from said room air outlet ports tosaid attic; and an air outlet element mounted in said roof to permitexhaust of air from said attic to the atmosphere.

v4. An air conditioned building structure comprising subterraneanfoundation walls defining an air passageway and including rooms and anattic space, a plenum chamber in said attic space, an inlet to said airpassageway for conveying outside air thereto, an outlet from said airpassageway for supplying air to the interior of the lower part of saidbuilding, thermostatic means for controlling the volume of air suppliedto the building, Walls defining said rooms in said building, airpassageways extending through the walls, floors and ceilings of saidrooms and surrounding said rooms, an air passageway communicating thelower portion of said building and said plenum chamber, said airpassages surrounding said rooms communicating with said plenum chamberand permitting air passage from said plenum chamber into the lower partof .said rooms, through said rooms and through said room walls andfloors and into said attic space, and a wind operated air exhaustingdevice in the building roof for removing air from said attic space, someof said air passageways surrounding the rooms adapted to receive airfrom the sub- 10 terranean passageway for feeding to the rooms,

OCTAVE J. ST. PIERRE.

